Hard Luck Café Concert Series Resumes at Cinema Arts Centre, Sept. 17

Annika Bennett and Kirsten Maxwell are Featured Performers

Two talented young singer-songwriters – Annika Bennett and Huntington’s own Kirsten Maxwell — will perform song swap-style and accompany each other on a few of their own songs when the Folk Music Society of Huntington’s Hard Luck Café concert series resumes at the Cinema Arts Centre (423 Park Avenue, Huntington, NY) on Thursday, Sept. 17. The 8:30 p.m. concert in the Cinema’s Sky Room will be preceded by an open mic at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are  $15 ($10 for Cinema Arts Centre and FMSH members). For more information, visit www.fmsh.org or call (631) 425-2925.

Annika Bennett is an award-winning singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.  Although she’s only 17, Annika’s songs reflect a level of craftsmanship and her lyrics a depth of wisdom that belie her youth. They are definitely not about teenage angst. She has written scores of songs and performed extensively throughout the New York metropolitan area.

Last year, Annika received ASCAP’s prestigious Robert Allen Award for Excellence in Songwriting and was the Audience Choice winner of WNYC Radio’s Battle of the Boroughs (Queens) competition. A semi-finalist in the 2014 International Songwriting Competition, Annika also participated in RealWomen RealSongs – a group of female artists who each wrote a prompted song a week during 2014. Winner of the 2015 Your Big Break Contest sponsored by the Gold Coast Arts Center, Annika also closed out the juried Emerging Artists Showcase during this summer’s Falcon Ridge Folk Festival.

Kirsten Maxwell is a folk music “triple threat.” Her talent is equal parts singer, performer, and songwriter.  Often compared to timeless singers like Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, and Judy Collins, the 23-year-old is unlike any young female singer of her generation.

Over the past year, Kirsten has quickly made a name for herself on the Long Island music scene. Now venturing out into New England, she won a songwriting contest sponsored by the Rhode Island Songwriters Association (RISA) — taking the prize with two original songs off of her debut album, Crimson.

Kirsten began singing and performing at age 5 as part of the Amato Opera Children’s Chorus. She continued classical vocal studies at The Crane School of Music, where she developed captivating control over an otherwise naturally passionate voice. Kirsten graduated from SUNY Geneseo last year with a BA in Creative Writing, which enhanced her innate songwriting abilities.

Annika Bennett impressed folks with her original song “California” as she closed out the juried Emerging Artists Showcase at this summer’s Falcon Ridge Folk Festival. Here’s a link to a video of her performing it another time at the festival:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7c9Pwnx0TLk

Here’s a link to a video of Huntington’s own Kirsten Maxwell performing her rendition of Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDp-ZlqyQYQ

Now in its 47th year, the Folk Music Society of Huntington (www.fmsh.org) presents two monthly concert series, a monthly folk jam and an annual folk festival in conjunction with the Huntington Arts Council. Its First Saturday Concerts series resumes Oct. 3 at the Congregational Church of Huntington in Centerport with singer-songwriter and consummate entertainer Vance Gilbert, who possesses “the voice of an angel, the wit of a devil, and the guitar playing of a god.” (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)